1964
Champions Major League Baseball *World Series: St. Louis Cardinals over New York Yankees (4-3); Bob Gibson, MVP *All-Star Game, July 7 at Shea Stadium: National League, 7-4; Johnny Callison, MVP Other champions *College World Series: Minnesota *Japan Series: Nankai Hawks over Hanshin Tigers (4-3) *Little League World Series: Mid Island, Staten Island, New York Awards and honors *'Most Valuable Player' **Brooks Robinson, Baltimore Orioles (AL) **Ken Boyer, St. Louis Cardinals (NL) *'Cy Young Award' **Dean Chance, Los Angeles Angels *'Rookie of the Year' **Tony Oliva, Minnesota Twins (AL) **Dick Allen, Philadelphia Phillies (NL) MLB Statistical Leaders Major League Baseball final standings American League final standings |} National League final standings |} Events *February 2 - Red Faber, Burleigh Grimes, Tim Keefe, Heinie Manush, John Montgomery Ward and Miller Huggins are elected to the Hall of Fame by the Special Veterans Committee. *February 17 - Former Chicago White Sox shortstop Luke Appling is selected to the Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers Association of America in a runoff vote. In 1953, the first year of eligibility for Appling, he received just two votes. *April 17 - The New York Mets play their first game at brand-new Shea Stadium and lose 4-3 to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Willie Stargell hits the first home run in the stadium's history, a 2nd inning solo shot against the Mets' Jack Fisher. *June 15 - The Cubs trade future Hall of Famer Lou Brock to the Cardinals for Ernie Broglio in a six-player deal. *June 21 - On Father's Day at Shea Stadium, Jim Bunning fans 10, drives in two runs, and pitches the first perfect game (excluding Don Larsen's 1956 World Series effort, and Harvey Haddix's 1959 overtime loss) since Charlie Robertson's on April 30, 1922, and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the New York Mets 6-0. Mets, rookie Johnny Stephenson struck out for the final out in a pinc-hitting role. Bunning also becomes the first pitcher since Cy Young to win no-hitters in both leagues, and Gus Triandos becomes the first catcher to catch a no-hitter in each league. Bunning throws just 90 pitches in winning his 2nd no-hitter. The next time Bunning faces the Mets he will shut them out, the first no-hit pitcher in the 20th century to do that. The Mets don't fare much better in the nitecap as 18-year-old rookie Rick Wise pitches into the seventh inning to win his first game, giving up just 3 hits and 3 walks (Johnny Klippstein pitched the final three innings). The Phillies increase their National League lead to two games over the San Francisco Giants. *July 7 - At Shea Stadium, Johnny Callison's ninth-inning three-run home run off Dick Radatz caps a four-run rally and gives the National League a 7–4 win over the American League in the All-Star Game. Callison is named Game MVP as the NL triumph evens the series at 17. *September 20 - Jim Bunning, in relief, strikes out Johnny Roseboro in the 9th inning to preserve the Philadelphia Phillies 3-2 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers in Los Angeles. The win comes after 2 straight losses and leaves the first place Phils in front of the National League by six and a half games with 12 games to play. When they return to Philadelphia in the early morning, 2,000 fans including mayor James Tate are on hand to greet the team. *September 21 - John Tsitouris hurls a 1-0 shutout for the Cincinnati Reds over Art Mahaffey and the first-place Phillies, launching a 10-game Phillies losing streak. Rookie Chico Ruiz scores the only run when, with Frank Robinson at bat, he steals home with two outs in the sixth inning. *September 27 - The Phillies lose to the Milwaukee Braves, 14-8 (the 7th loss in the Phillies' 10-game losing streak), as the Reds sweep the Mets (4-1 and 3-1). These results put the Reds into 1st place in the NL, and the Phillies will never return there in 1964. *October 3 - As a result of the now-concluded Phillies' 10-game losing streak, this day begins with 4 teams still having a mathematical shot at the NL pennant. One of them, the San Francisco Giants, is eliminated today by a 10-7 loss to the Chicago Cubs. At the end of today's games, the Reds and the Cardinals are tied for 1st place, with the Phillies 1 game back. In recent days, the NL has had to scramble to schedule various possible playoffs. *October 4 - The Phillies defeat the Reds, 10-0, in the last regular-season game for both teams unless there is a playoff. At the end of that game, both teams are 1/2 game back of the Cardinals (who as a result of that game have clinched a tie for the NL pennant), and await the result of the Cardinals-Mets game. Then, the Cardinals, never in first place until the last week of the season, clinch the NL pennant with an 11-5 win over the New York Mets, who had just beaten the Cardinals twice in the two preceding days. Today's win by the Cardinals averts a three-way tie for the NL pennant, with the Phillies and the Reds finishing one game back in a 2nd-place tie. It is the first Cardinals pennant since 1946. *October 15 - The St. Louis Cardinals take an early lead in the deciding World Series Game Seven over the New York Yankees. Lou Brock hits a fifth-inning home run for a 6–0 lead for pitcher Bob Gibson. Mickey Mantle, Clete Boyer and Phil Linz homer for New York, but it's not enough. The Cardinals win 7–5 and are the World Champions. The Boyer brothers, Ken for St. Louis and Clete for the Yankees, homer in their last World Series appearance, a first in major league history. Births *January 18 - Brady Anderson *January 20 - Ozzie Guillén *March 13 - Will Clark *April 11 - Bret Saberhagen *April 28 - Barry Larkin *June 28 - Mark Grace *July 2 - José Canseco *July 24 - Barry Bonds *August 2 - Cliff Young (d. 1993) *August 13 - Jay Buhner *September 11 - Ellis Burks *September 24 - Rafael Palmeiro *November 10 - Kenny Rogers *November 11 - Roberto Hernández *November 16 - Dwight Gooden Deaths *February 13 - Ken Hubbs, 22, second baseman for the Chicago Cubs and the 1962 Rookie of the Year, in a plane crash *April 8 - George Moriarty, 79, third baseman, manager and umpire in the American League for 35 years *April 8 - Jim Umbricht, 33, relief pitcher for the Houston Colt .45s, who battled back from cancer surgery to post a 4-3 record for the club in 1963 *April 20 - Eddie Dyer, 64, pitcher and manager for the St. Louis Cardinals who guided the team to the 1946 World Series title *August 21 - J.L. Wilkinson, 86, owner of the Negro League Kansas City Monarchs from 1920 to 1948 *September 11 - Tom Meany, 60, sportswriter for six New York newspapers, as well as Collier's magazine, from 1923 to 1956; publicity and promotions director for the Mets since their 1961 formation *November 12 - Fred Hutchinson, 45, manager of the Cincinnati Reds since 1959, previously a pitcher for the Detroit Tigers *March 19 - John Henry (Pop) Lloyd, 79, shortstop of the Negro Leagues, who became known as the black Honus Wagner (selected to Hall of Fame in 1977)